Little Belt
CrossingOperationalDK420 kV13 km
Also known as:Lillebælt (Lillebælt) 420 kV cable, Little Belt 420 kV subsea/underground cable, Lillebælt 420 kV three‑core submarine cable
Status:Operational
Project Company:Energinet (Energinet.dk)
Type:crossing
Website:en.energinet.dk
Little Belt (Lillebælt) interconnector is a Denmark domestic subsea/underground transmission project that replaced overhead 400 kV lines across the Little Belt strait between Funen and the Jutland peninsula. The scope comprised a turnkey cable system procured by the Danish TSO Energinet (Energinet.dk) that included onshore underground single‑core 420 kV cable...
Supply Chain (1)
Project Timeline (8)
1 Jun 2013Cable Installation StartStale
Energinet.dk planned to begin installing two of the world’s thickest 3‑phase 400 kV AC submarine cables on the seabed of the Little Belt and through Fænø Sund in June–July 2013, replacing the existing 400 kV overhead lines across the strait together with about five kilometres of land cable. The challenging offshore installation, using 420 kV 3‑core submarine cables manufactured by ABB in Karlskrona, Sweden, required temporary closure of the waters off Fænø for periods of up to three weeks and formed part of a beautification project to remove visually intrusive transmission lines near the Lillebælt Bridge.
1 Jan 2013Onshore Construction StartStale
Energinet.dk planned to start onshore construction in early 2013 on the new cable connection replacing the overhead transmission line crossing Little Belt, involving approximately 5 km of land cables between Snoghøj in Fredericia and Skrillinge near Middelfart and associated transition stations linking the land cables to existing overhead lines. This work was a prerequisite for later removal of 82 high-voltage pylons and their lines along the 12 km stretch over Little Belt.
30 Jan 2012Planning Consent Awarded
Authority: Klima-, Energi- og Bygningsministeriet · Licence: Tilladelse under § 4 i lov om Energinet.dk til gennemførelse af forskønnelsesprojekt ved Lillebælt
On 30 January 2012, the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Buildings granted Energinet.dk permission under §4 of the Energinet.dk Act for the Little Belt beautification project, authorising the cabling of approximately 12 km of two 400 kV overhead transmission lines between Jutland and Funen over the Little Belt, including associated cable transition stations, adjustments at nearby transformer stations, and dismantling of existing overhead lines.
2009Regulatory Other
Licence: Designation of Lillebælt 400 kV crossing as a visual enhancement project requiring replacement of overhead lines with underground and submarine cables
In 2009, following a November 2008 agreement in the Danish Parliament on principles for future expansion and undergrounding of the national transmission grid, Danish state environmental centres and Energinet.dk selected six 400 kV "visual enhancement" projects, including the Lillebælt (Little Belt) crossing. This decision designated the project to replace the existing double 400 kV overhead lines across the Lillebælt strait between Funen and the Jutland peninsula with underground and submarine cable circuits, as part of the national effort to improve the visual appearance of key sections of the 400 kV grid.
Date TBDCommercial Operations Full Power
The Lillebælt (Little Belt) transmission project, which replaces two 400 kV overhead line systems across the Lillebælt strait between the Jutland peninsula and the island of Funen with two approximately 13 km 420 kV cable circuits (combining underground and 3‑core submarine sections) and new transition substations, was fully installed and commissioned, enabling decommissioning of the former overhead lines and improving the visual appearance of this key part of Denmark’s 400 kV grid.
Date TBDCable Installation Complete
As part of a Danish grid visual enhancement initiative, the project at Lillebælt (Little Belt) replaced two 400 kV overhead line systems crossing the strait between Funen and the Jutland peninsula with new cable infrastructure. A total of 2 × 12 km of overhead lines at the strait crossing and on land were removed and substituted by two 420 kV cable circuits of about 13 km each, comprising underground sections on both the Jutland side and near Middelfart on Funen, and a 7.5 km submarine section through the Little Belt strait, completing the installation of the interconnector’s cable system and enabling decommissioning of the former overhead lines.
Date TBDGeophysical Survey Start
During the early engineering phase of the Little Belt 400 kV interconnector project replacing overhead lines across the Lillebælt (Little Belt) strait, the project team carried out seabed surveys as part of detailed project engineering to determine the optimal submarine and underground cable layout between Jutland and Funen.
Date TBDGeotech Survey Start
As part of the early design and engineering for the Little Belt 400 kV cable project that replaced existing overhead lines across the Lillebælt strait, soil investigations were undertaken to inform and optimise the routing and design of the underground and submarine cable system.